The decision to undergo breast reconstruction following a mastectomy is a personal choice. Those women who decided to undergo breast reconstruction are then confronted with the options to have autologous breast reconstruction, using the patient’s own tissue, or implant breast reconstruction. Autologous reconstruction most often entails undergoing a DIEP flap breast reconstruction, which stands for Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator flap. DIEP flap breast reconstruction, in short, is the use of a patient’s lower abdominal tissue to reconstruct their breasts via microsurgery. The patient will end up with an abdominal incision similar to an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) incision and natural breasts utilizing their own tissue. Implant breast reconstruction is more familiar to most patients, which utilizes either saline or silicone breast implants to reconstruct their breasts. A recent study indicated that women who underwent autologous breast reconstruction were significantly more satisfied with their reconstruction than those women who underwent implant breast reconstruction. Regardless of the type of reconstruction either group of women chose, breast reconstruction in general was reported to improve the women’s sense of self, chest satisfaction, psychosocial and sexual well-being[1]. If you choose to have breast reconstruction, our team of experienced plastic surgeons would love to help you develop a surgical plan than meets your specific goals and needs. Contact us today.
[1] 1. Mestak O. Comparison of patient-reported outcomes after implant versus autologous tissue breast reconstruction using the BREAST-Q. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2017.
